Andres Iniesta Pleased With the Affection Shown by Juventus Fans Following Standing Ovation in Turin

Barcelona and Spain star Andres Iniesta was treated to a grand gesture by Juventus fans after being taken off by Ernesto Valverde during the Catalan side’s Champions League group stage clash with Italy’s champions in Turin on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old helped Barca secure passage through to the knockout stage of the tournament, although no one got on the score-sheet in what turned out to be a 0-0 draw. And having seen his number go up, with Jordi Alba coming on to replace him, the Spaniard was given a standing ovation by the Juve crowd.

Iniesta was very pleased with the show of affection, which he says makes him happy both as a professional and as a person.

?“It’s really nice that [the supporters] show me this kind of affection — both at home and abroad,” he said, via Spanish publication ?Sport.

“Honestly, it is a source of pride and it makes me really happy, both as a player and as a person.”

The player also praised his team for the effort they’ve put in so far, having qualified for the round of 16 with a match to spare, but reserved special plaudits for his keeper, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

“We’ve fulfilled our objective with a game to spare, which was important,” he added. “We put in a great shift and the whole team did a great job against great opponents.”

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“We know Ter Stegen’s quality and he still has room to improve. He makes the difference and the Barcelona goalkeeper, against the few things that come his way, has to be successful. In that sense, he’s splendid.”